Graduates challenged to walk with God

December 15, 2013

PLAINVIEW -- Wayland Baptist University celebrated its winter commencement Saturday afternoon with 73 masters and baccalaureate students receiving diplomas.
Charles Carr of Petersburg, Rebekah Brown of Aurora, Colo., and Christopher Kirby of Plano were each recognized for maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average throughout their undergraduate careers. Carr received a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in business administration. Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts in English degree and Kirby received a Bachelor of Music degree, majoring in music education.

Dananai Semwayo, a political science major from Miami, Fla., gave the student address, challenging her fellow graduates to take care of their spiritual wellbeing. Semwayo said each person must deal with their mental, physical and spiritual health, and while college has definitely taken care of the mental aspect, and in some cases the physical as well, it is the spiritual that needs the most attention.
“The most important part of our lives is the spiritual part,” she said. “Striving to be better spiritually is tough. It’s not complicated, but it can be difficult.”
Semwayo said for her generation, it is difficult to focus on God’s wishes when there are so many outside influences trying to tell people how to “live like the world.” But, she said, it is important to live like Christ.
“It’s important that every day, we are peeling the pages of scripture just to get insight and wisdom from God’s word on how to do life better,” Semwayo said.
She challenged her classmates to walk, talk, think and love like Christ.
In his charge to the graduates, Dr. Paul Armes echoed Semwayo’s sentiments with three points:

Never underestimate an individual’s power to change the world

It does matter how people live; what they choose to believe about right and wrong; about faith and lack of faith

Never underestimate the importance and impact of faith in Christ.

Dr. Armes used the biblical example of the young boy with five loaves and two fish through which, when entrusted to Jesus, 5,000 people were fed.
“Even seemingly insignificant gifts when placed in the hands of Christ have a way of working miracles,” he said.
“You’re receiving a gift -- actually it’s something you’ve earned today. When you place that in God’s hands and pursue life in keeping with His dreams for you, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish.”